Smart Power Bank System For Efficient Energy Transfer

ABSTRACT

In general, techniques are disclosed for efficiently transferring power from a portable power bank to an electronic device. More particularly, a disclosed power bank incorporates a switching mechanism capable of routing battery voltage (novel) or a stepped-up voltage (e.g., from a boost regulator) directly to a common portion of an output connector. In addition, electronic devices as described herein also incorporate a switching mechanism to allow them to accept direct battery output (novel) or a stepped-up voltage at a common portion of the device&#39;s connector (e.g., a USB connector). When used in combination, the disclosed portable power bank can transfer power to the electronic device with no more than half the loss attributable to voltage conversion operations of the prior art.

BACKGROUND

This disclosure relates generally to supplying power to electronicdevices. More particularly, but not by way of limitation, thisdisclosure relates to a portable power source for the efficient transferof power to an electronic device.

Rechargeable Batteries may be found in a variety of portable electronicdevices including laptop, notebook and tablet computer systems, personaldigital assistants (PDAs), cell phones, digital media players, cameras,etc. Current battery technology provides only a moderate amount ofenergy storage. As a result, individuals that make heavy use of theirportable devices can find the need to recharge them while away from homeor office. For this, individuals may use an AC powered charger, a backupor replacement battery, or an external battery pack used to charge theelectronic device's internal battery. The latter type of device is oftenreferred to as a “power bank.”

Many prior art power banks supply power through a specific type ofconnector adhering to a standard. For example, many power banks use aUniversal Serial Bus (USB) connector. As a consequence, they supplyvoltage at a level required by the USB standard, nominally 5.0 volts.Similarly, because electronic devices comport to the same standard, theymust be able to accept an input voltage at 5.0 volts. Batteries used inmodern electronic devices however often have a terminal voltage ofbetween 3.0 volts (fully, or near fully discharged) and 4.2 volts(fully, or near fully charged). Because of these voltage imbalances,prior art power banks will always need to boost their internal battery'soutput voltage to the USB's standard 5.0 volts, and an electronic devicewill always need to buck the incoming voltage to meet that of theirinternal battery (plus, perhaps, a small delta voltage needed to drivecharging operations). This situation is shown in FIG. 1 in which powerbank 100 and electronic device 105 each include a battery (110 and 115respectively), a voltage level converter (120 and 125 respectively), anda USB connector (130 and 135 respectively). As shown, power bank 100'sinternal battery voltage 140 is between, for example, 3.0 and 4.0 volts.Through level converter 120 boost operation 145 takes this to 5.0 volts,transfer voltage 150. Level converter 125 in electronic device 105 usesbuck operation 155 to then reduce transfer voltage 150 to its internalbattery level 160 and/or a level needed by device 105's internalelectronics (between, for example, 3.0 and 4.0 volts).

It is known that the power conversion efficiency of a boost operation isapproximately equal to the power conversion efficiency of a buckoperation: 83%. While the precise value will of course differ based on,for example, the type of switching elements used, the difference inoutput versus input voltage and the circuit's mode of operation (e.g.,continuous versus discontinuous conduction modes), whatever this valueis, contemporary power banks suffer such a loss twice (one loss in powerbank 100 and another loss in electronic device 105).

SUMMARY

In one embodiment the disclosed concepts provide a smart battery bank toenable an efficient transfer of power to an electronic device. smartbattery bank in accordance with this disclosure may include a source ofpower such as a battery, a voltage level converter configured to converta first (lower) voltage to a second (higher) voltage, a switchingmechanism, a connector, and a controller functionally coupled to theswitching mechanism and the connector, the controller configured toexecute instructions stored in a memory, the instructions adapted tocause the controller to obtain a signal from the connector (i.e., froman external electronic device), configure the switching mechanism toroute output from its internal power source to the connector without useof the voltage level converter when the signal indicates that anelectronic device of a first type is coupled to the connector. Thecontroller may be further adapted to, when the signal indicates than anelectronic device of a second type is coupled to the connector,configure the switching mechanism to route output from the power sourceto an input of the voltage level converter and the resulting output fromthe voltage level converter to the connector. power bank in accordancewith this disclosure can deliver power to an electronic device with, atmost, half the loss due to voltage level conversion operations as doconventional power banks.

In another embodiment the disclosed concepts provide a smart electronicdevice that includes a battery, a boost/buck regulator module, aswitching mechanism, a connector and a controller functionally coupledto the switching mechanism and the connector, the controller configuredto execute instructions stored in a memory adapted to cause thecontroller to: obtain a first signal indicative of a target operationalmode of the electronic device and, when the first signal indicates afirst operational mode, configure the switching mechanism to (1) routethe externally supplied power from the connector to an input of theboost/buck regulator and the resulting output from the boost/buckregulator to the battery, (2) route output from the battery to power theelectronic device, and (3) open an electrical path so that theexternally supplied power does not directly power the electronic device.When the first signal indicates a second operational mode, thecontroller configures the switching mechanism to (1) route theexternally supplied power from the connector so as to directly power theelectronic device, (2) disconnect the input of the boost/buck regulatorfrom the connector, and (3) disconnect the battery so that it does notpower the electronic device. In yet another embodiment, the smartelectronic device may further include instructions to cause, when thefirst signal indicates a third operational mode, the controller toconfigure the switching mechanism to (1) route the externally suppliedpower from the connector so as to directly power the electronic device,(2) route the externally supplied power from the connector to theboost/buck regulator's input and the resulting output from theboost/buck regulator to the battery, and (3) disconnect the battery sothat it no longer powers the smart electronic device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows, in block diagram form, a prior art power bank-electronicdevice system.

FIG. 2 shows, in block diagram form, a smart power bank system inaccordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 3 shows, in flowchart form, smart device centric power transferoperations in accordance with various embodiments.

FIGS. 4A-4F show, in block diagram form, smart power bank systemsconfigured in different manners in accordance with this disclosure.

FIG. 5 shows, in flowchart form, smart battery bank centric powertransfer operations in accordance with one embodiment.

FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate initial configuration operations inaccordance with two embodiments.

FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate, in block diagram form, a smart power bank inaccordance with various embodiments.

FIG. 8 shows, in block diagram form, an electronic device in accordancewith one embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This disclosure pertains to systems, methods, and computer readablemedia to improve the transfer of power between a portable power bank andan electronic device. In general, techniques are disclosed forefficiently transferring power from a portable power bank to anelectronic device. More particularly, a disclosed power bankincorporates a switching mechanism capable of routing battery voltage(novel) or a stepped-up voltage (e.g., from a boost regulator) directlyto a common portion of an output connector. In addition, electronicdevices as described herein also incorporate a switching mechanism toallow them to accept direct battery input (novel) such as that from thedisclosed power bank or a stepped-up voltage at a common portion of thedevice's connector (e.g., a USB connector). When used in combination,the disclosed portable power bank can transfer power to the electronicdevice with no more than half the loss attributable to voltageconversion operations of prior art power banks.

In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerousspecific details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the disclosed concepts. As part of this description,some of this disclosure's drawings represent structures and devices inblock diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the novel aspects of thedisclosed concepts. In the interest of clarity, not all features of anactual implementation are described. Moreover, the language used in thisdisclosure has been principally selected for readability andinstructional purposes, and may not have been selected to delineate orcircumscribe the inventive subject matter, resort to the claims beingnecessary to determine such inventive subject matter. Reference in thisdisclosure to “one embodiment” or to “an embodiment” means that aparticular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connectionwith the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of thedisclosed subject matter, and multiple references to “one embodiment” or“an embodiment” should not be understood as necessarily all referring tothe same embodiment.

It will be appreciated that in the development of any actualimplementation (as in any software and/or hardware development project),numerous decisions must be made to achieve the developers' specificgoals (e.g., compliance with system- and business-related constraints),and that these goals may vary from one implementation to another. Itwill also be appreciated that such development efforts might be complexand time-consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking forthose of ordinary skill in the design and implementation of electronicsystem power circuitry having the benefit of this disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 2, smart power bank system 200 in accordance with oneembodiment includes smart electronic device 205 and smart power bank 210joined through connectors 215 and 220 via cable 225. Smart electronicdevice 205 may, for example, be a cell phone, PDA, digital media playeror tablet computer system. Connectors 215 and 220 may be any similarconnectors whose structure and function are known (e.g., as specified inan electrical standard such as the USB standard). As shown in breakout205A, smart electronic device 205 may include electronic system 230,battery 235, boost/buck regulator 240, and switches S3, S4 and S5.Component 230 represents the electronic and other elements that providethe means for electronic device 205 to perform its intended functions(i.e., to function as a cell phone or a tablet computer system). Asshown in breakout 210A, smart power bank 210 includes battery 245, boostregulator 250 and switches S1 and S2.

In accordance with this disclosure, smart power bank system 200 mayoperate in one of two primary modes: boost and bypass. Boost modereplicates conventional power bank operation in so far as smart powerbank 210 supplies power at a voltage corresponding to the connector'sstandard and smart electronic device 205 establishes a correspondinginternal routing mechanism consistent with receiving the specifiedvoltage. In bypass mode, smart power bank 210 supplies its batteryvoltage directly to its connector and smart electronic device 205establishes corresponding internal routing mechanisms to use that powerin a manner more efficient than conventional power bank systems.

Referring to FIG. 3, in one embodiment power transfer operation 300 froman electronic device's perspective may begin, prior to any power bankbeing connected thereto, with smart electronic device 205 executing onits own internal battery power with switch S4 closed and switches S3 andS5 open as shown in FIG. 4A (block 305). When smart device 205 isconnected to a power bank (block 310), smart device 205 may determine ifit is coupled to a smart power bank (block 315). If smart device 205determines the connected power bank is not a smart power bank inaccordance with this disclosure (the “NO” prong of block 315), switchesS3, S4 and S5 may be closed as shown in FIG. 4B (block 320). In thismode power from battery 115 is attenuated twice before it may be used bysmart device 205—once by boost regulator 125 within power bank 105(loosing approximately 17% of its initial power, see discussion above)and another time by boost/buck regulator 240—operating in buckmode—within smart device 205 (loosing another approximately 17% of itspower). This situation highlights the fact that when using prior artpower banks approximately 31% of the power supplied by battery 115 islost due to voltage conversion operations alone.

Returning to FIG. 3, if smart device 205 determines the connected powerbank is a smart power bank and smart power bank 210 determines thatelectronic device 205 is capable of receiving battery voltage directly(the “YES” prong of block 315), smart power bank 210 may enter bypassmode by setting switch 51 to position A and switch S2 to position B asshown in FIG. 4C, another check may be made (Block 325). If charging isnot selected (the “NO” prong of block 325), smart electronic device 205may enter a “longest-battery-life” mode by opening switches S3 and S4and closing switch S5 as shown in FIG. 4D (block 330). In this mode,power from battery 245 may be applied directly to smart device 205'selectronic system 230—suffering no losses due to boost/buck operations.Stated differently, when smart power bank system 200 is operating inbypass: longest-battery-life mode in accordance with this disclosure,virtually 100% of smart power bank 210's battery 245's power may be usedto operate electronic device 205 (so that smart device battery 235 maybeheld in reserve as long as possible). In contrast, prior art power banksystems experience losses due to two voltage conversion operations (onein the power bank and another in the electronic device)—losingapproximately 31% of the power supplied by a power bank's battery.

If, on the other hand, a user elects to use smart battery bank 210 toboth power smart device 205 and charge its internal battery 235 (the“YES” prong of block 325), a further check may be made (block 335). Ifit is then determined that the power bank's battery voltage is not atleast a specified value above the smart device's battery voltage (the“NO” prong of block 335), smart power bank 210 may enter bypass mode bysetting switch 51 to position A, switch S2 to position B, and smartdevice 205 may enter a “boost-battery-charge” mode by closing switchesS3, S4 and S5 and setting boost/buck regulator 240 to operate in a boostmode as shown in FIG. 4E (block 340). Setting boost/buck regulator 240to boost mode allows it to adjust the voltage applied to battery 235 tooptimize battery charge operations. In this configuration, the powersupplied from smart power bank battery 245 directly to electronic system230 suffers no loss (compared to approximately 31% in a prior art powerbank system) while the power supplied from smart power bank battery 245to charge smart device battery 235 will typically suffer only a singlevoltage-conversion loss of approximately 13% (leaving approximately 87%of the power to actually charge battery 235), half what a prior artpower bank system experiences. It will be recognized that the value ofthe “specified” voltage (also known as a threshold or delta voltage) maydepend at least on the type of batteries being used and may thereforevary from implementation to implementation.

Returning again to FIG. 3, if it is determined that the power bank'sbattery voltage is at least the specified value above the smart device'sbattery voltage (the “YES” prong of block 335), smart power bank 210 mayenter bypass mode by setting switch S1 to position A, switch S2 toposition B (see FIG. 4C), and smart device 205 may enter a“buck-battery-charge” mode by closing switches S3, S4 and S5 and settingboost/buck regulator 240 to operate in a buck mode as shown in FIG. 4F(block 345). As determined in block 335, power bank battery 245 hassufficient voltage to charge electronic device battery 235 directly.Setting boost/buck regulator 240 to buck mode allows the voltage appliedto battery 235 to be optimized for battery charge operations. In thisconfiguration, the power supplied from smart power bank battery 245directly to electronic system 230 suffers no loss (compared toapproximately 31% loss in prior art power bank systems) while the powersupplied from smart power bank battery 245 to charge smart devicebattery 235 will typically suffer a loss of approximately 13% (leavingapproximately 87% of the power to actually charge battery 235)—only halfthat suffered by prior art power bank systems.

For devices like a smart phone (or other electronic device that draws arelatively large amount of current) it may be useful to close switch S4when in any of the disclosed new and novel charging modes as illustratedin FIGS. 4D (longest-battery-life mode), 4E (boost-battery-charge mode),and 4F (buck-battery-charge mode). This may be because the device'sinternal battery 235 may provide a higher current that smart powerbank's battery 245 so that, when initially coupled there could becurrent transient that smart power bank battery 245 is not quick enoughto respond. This will generally not be necessary for small currentconsuming devices.

Referring to FIG. 5, in one embodiment power transfer operation 500 fromsmart power bank 210's perspective may begin when a connection event isidentified (block 505). “connection event,” as used here occurs whensmart power bank 210 is connected to an electronic device (e.g., viaconnector 220). Once connected, smart power bank 210 may determine ifthe connected device is a smart device (block 510). As used herein, a“smart” device is any electronic device that is able to switch itsinternal routing of received power based on whether the device supplyingthat power can provide battery voltage directly (e.g., smart power bank210). If the connected device is a smart device (the “YES” prong ofblock 510), the power bank 210 may put itself into bypass mode bysetting switch S1 to position A and switch S2 to position B (see FIGS. 2and 4C) (block 515). Smart power bank 210 may then wait for one of oneor more termination conditions (block 520). termination condition couldbe, for example, a loss of a signal from the connected device or anaffirmative indication from the connected device that power transfershould stop. In one embodiment, smart power bank 210 may periodicallycheck for the existence of a termination condition. In anotherembodiment, smart power bank 210 may continuously check for atermination condition. If a termination condition is found to exist (the“YES” prong of block 525), smart power bank 210 may reset itself andawait the next event (block 530). If no termination condition is found(the “NO” prong of block 525), smart power bank 210 resumes waiting.Finally, returning to block 510, if the connected device is determinednot to be a smart device (the “NO” prong of block 510), smart power bank210 may put itself into “boost” mode by setting switch S1 to position Cand switch S2 to position D (block 535), where after operations inaccordance with block 525 are performed.

A time sequence of actions that may occur during smart power bank systemoperations in accordance with this disclosure may be seen in FIG. 6.Referring first to FIG. 6A, when smart power bank 210 is initiallyconnected to electronic device 600 (connection event 605), it beginsoperation by powering up the communication port 610 within connector 220and establishing a communication's link 615 with electronic device 600in accordance with connector 220/215's specified protocol (e.g., USB).Smart power bank 210 may then issue capabilities query 620 to determineif electronic device 600 is capable of receiving battery voltagedirectly through its connector 215. If, after specified time interval625, smart power bank 210 has not received an indication that electronicdevice 600 can receive battery voltage directly through connector 215(or, alternatively, receives an affirmative indication from electronicdevice 600 that it cannot do so), smart power bank 210 may configureitself for boost (conventional) operations 630 in which switch S1 isplaced into position C and switch S2 is placed into position D (see FIG.2).

Referring now to FIG. 6B, when smart power bank 210 is initiallyconnected to smart electronic device 205 (connection event 605), actionsin accordance with FIG. 6A repeat until smart power bank 210 issuescapabilities request 620. Electronic device 205 may then respondindicating that it is capable of receiving battery voltage directly 635.In response, smart power bank 210 configures itself into bypass mode 640in which switch S1 is placed into position A and switch S2 is placedinto position B (see FIG. 2). In one embodiment electronic device 205may then determine a user's desired operating mode 645 (e.g.,longest-battery-life (see FIG. 4D), boost-battery-charge (see FIG. 4E)or buck-battery-charge (FIG. 4F) mode) and, once known, configuresitself to that mode 650. In another embodiment, if only thelongest-battery-life mode is provided as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4C,operation 645 may be eliminated.

Referring to FIG. 7A, smart power bank 700 in accordance with oneembodiment may include external connector 705, boost regulator 710,battery 715, switch S1 720, switch S2 725, communications module 730,controller 735 and memory 740. Connector 705 may be any connector whosephysical arrangement and function has been agreed upon. Within thisdisclosure, connector 705 has been described in terms of a USBconnector. This should not be understood as limiting. By way of exampleonly, connector 705 could also be a Firewire connector (IEEE 1394Standard) or a DisplayPort connector (a Video Electronics StandardsAssociation Standard). (FIREWIRE® is a registered trademark of AppleInc.) Boost regulator 710 may be any circuit or module designed toincrease the DC voltage level of an input DC voltage signal. Battery 715may be any type of battery (e.g., lithium-ion, lead-acid andnickel-cadmium batteries). Switches S1 720 and S2 725 may be any type ofswitches and may vary from implementation to implementation dependinginter alia on the voltage and power levels being switched. (Together,switches S1 and S2 may be referred to as a switching mechanism, circuitor module.) Communication circuit or module 730 may be any type ofcircuit needed to coordinate communication through connector 705 in themanner described herein. For example, communication module 730 mayorchestrate communication through connector 705 in accordance with theUSB standard. Controller 735 may be any circuit, module or unit capableof controlling the actions within smart power bank 700. For example,controller 735 may be a microcontroller implemented as a single chip oras a series of chips (e.g., a commercial microprocessor or a customdesigned state machine implemented via, for example, programmablegate-array technology). In some embodiments, the functions attributed tocommunication module 730 may be performed by controller 735. Memory 740may be used to store operating parameters and program code that whenexecuted by controller 735 causes controller 735 to perform the controlfunctions discussed herein. Memory 740 could include volatile andnon-volatile memory.

Referring to FIG. 7B, in another embodiment smart power bank 700′ mayinclude a number of connectors 705A-705N, each one of which could servethe function of connector 705. In an implementation such as this, itwould be the task of communication module 730′ (and/or controller 735′)to identify the connector being used and to use the correspondingcommunication protocol. In yet another embodiment, connector 705 couldbe a “generic” connector which is capable of accepting a number ofdifferent standard connectors. In an implementation such as this, itwould be the function of communication module 730 and/or controller 735to identify the communication standard required by the connectedelectronic device.

Referring to FIG. 8, a simplified functional block diagram ofillustrative electronic device 800 (e.g., 205) is shown according to oneembodiment. Electronic device 800 could be, for example, a mobiletelephone, personal media device, portable camera, or a tablet, notebookor desktop computer system. As shown, electronic device 800 may includeprocessor 805, display 810, user interface 815, graphics hardware 820,device sensors 825 (e.g., proximity sensor/ambient light sensor,accelerometer and/or gyroscope), microphone 830, audio codec(s) 835,speaker(s) 840, external connector 845, communications circuitry 850,image capture circuit or unit 855, video codec(s) 860, memory 865,storage 870, and communications bus 875.

Processor 805 may execute instructions necessary to carry out or controlthe operation of many functions performed by device 800 (e.g., such ascontrol of switches within the electronic device to effect a chosenoperating mode). Processor 805 may, for instance, drive display 810 andreceive user input from user interface 815. User interface 815 can takea variety of forms, such as a button, keypad, dial, a click wheel,keyboard, display screen and/or a touch screen. User interface 815could, for example, be the conduit through which a user may indicate achosen operating mode (i.e., longest-battery-life, boost-battery-chargeor buck-battery-charge mode). Processor 805 may be a system-on-chip suchas those found in mobile devices and include one or more dedicatedgraphics processing units (GPUs). Processor 805 may be based on reducedinstruction-set computer (RISC) or complex instruction-set computer(CISC) architectures or any other suitable architecture and may includeone or more processing cores. Graphics hardware 820 may be specialpurpose computational hardware for processing graphics and/or assistingprocessor 805 perform computational tasks. In one embodiment, graphicshardware 820 may include one or more programmable graphics processingunits (GPUs).

External connector 845 may be any type of connector that has anagreed-upon structure and communication protocol (e.g., USB, FireWireand DisplayPort connectors). Connector 845 may correspond to connector215 in any of FIGS. 2, 4C-4F, and 7A-7B. Communication circuit or module850 may control the flow of signals (power and/or information) throughconnector 845 in accordance with, for example, FIGS. 6A-6B.

Image capture circuitry 855 may capture still and video images that maybe processed to generate images. Output from image capture circuitry 855may be processed, at least in part, by video codec(s) 860 and/orprocessor 805 and/or graphics hardware 820, and/or a dedicated imageprocessing unit incorporated within circuitry 855. Images so capturedmay be stored in memory 865 and/or storage 870. Memory 865 may includeone or more different types of media used by processor 805, graphicshardware 820, and image capture circuitry 855 to perform devicefunctions. For example, memory 865 may include memory cache, read-onlymemory (ROM), and/or random access memory (RAM). Storage 870 may storemedia (e.g., audio, image and video files), computer programinstructions or software, preference information, device profileinformation, and any other suitable data. Storage 870 may include onemore non-transitory storage mediums including, for example, magneticdisks (fixed, floppy, and removable) and tape, optical media such asCD-ROMs and digital video disks (DVDs), and semiconductor memory devicessuch as Electrically Programmable Read-Only Memory (EPROM), andElectrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM). Memory 865and storage 870 may be used to retain computer program instructions orcode organized into one or more modules and written in any desiredcomputer programming language. When executed by, for example, processor805 such computer program code may implement one or more of the methodsdescribed herein.

It is to be understood that the above description is intended to beillustrative, and not restrictive. The material has been presented toenable any person skilled in the art to make and use the disclosedsubject matter as claimed and is provided in the context of particularembodiments, variations of which will be readily apparent to thoseskilled in the art (e.g., some of the disclosed embodiments may be usedin combination with each other). For example, FIGS. 3 and 5 showflowcharts illustrating functions of both an electronic device and smartpower bank in accordance with the disclosed embodiments. In one or moreembodiments, one or more of the disclosed steps may be omitted,repeated, and/or performed in a different order than that describedherein. Accordingly, the specific arrangement of steps or actions shownin any figure should not be construed as limiting the scope of thedisclosed subject matter. The scope of the invention therefore should bedetermined with reference to the appended claims, along with the fullscope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. In the appendedclaims, the terms “including” and “in which” are used as theplain-English equivalents of the respective terms “comprising” and“wherein.”

1. smart battery bank, comprising: a battery; a voltage level converterconfigured to convert a first voltage to a second voltage, wherein thesecond voltage is higher than the first voltage; a switching mechanism;a connector; and a controller operatively coupled to the switchingmechanism and the connector, the controller configured to executeinstructions stored in a memory, the instructions adapted to cause thecontroller to— obtain a signal from the connector, configure theswitching mechanism to route output from the battery to the connectorwithout use of the voltage level converter when the signal indicatesthat an electronic device of a first type is coupled to the connector,and configure the switching mechanism to route output from the batteryto an input of the voltage level converter and output from the voltagelevel converter to the connector when the signal indicates that anelectronic device of a second type is coupled to the connector.
 2. Thesmart battery bank of claim 1, wherein the voltage level converter isadapted to output a voltage corresponding to a type of the connector. 3.The smart battery bank of claim 2, wherein the voltage level converteris adapted to output a nominal voltage of 5.0 volts when the connectorcomprises a USB connector.
 4. The smart battery bank of claim 1, whereinthe voltage level converter is adapted to convert an input voltage ofbetween 3.0 volts and 4.2 volts to an output voltage of nominally 5.0volts.
 5. The smart battery bank of claim 1, wherein the first type ofelectronic device comprises an electronic device that is capable ofalternatively accepting, through a device connector adapted to mate withthe connector: output from the battery at a specified portion of thedevice connector; and output from the voltage level converter's outputat the specified portion of the device connector.
 6. method toefficiently transfer power from a power bank to an electronic device,comprising: obtaining, at an output connector of a portable power bank,a signal indicative of a type of electronic device coupled to theportable power bank through the output connector; configuring aswitching mechanism of the portable power bank to route output from abattery of the portable power bank directly to a specified portion ofthe output connector in response to the signal indicating a first typeof electronic device is connected thereto, so that power is transferredfrom the portable power bank to the electronic device without lossesattributable to voltage step-up operations of a voltage level converter;and configuring the switching mechanism to route output from the batteryto an input of the voltage level converter and the resulting output fromthe voltage level converter to the specified portion of the outputconnector in response to the signal indicating a second type ofelectronic device is connected thereto.
 7. The method of claim 6,wherein the voltage level converter is adapted to output a voltagecorresponding to a type of the output connector.
 8. The method of claim7, wherein the voltage level converter is adapted to output a nominal5.0 volts when the output connector comprises a USB connector.
 9. Themethod of claim 6, wherein the voltage level converter is adapted toconvert an input voltage of between 3.0 volts and 4.2 volts to a nominaloutput voltage of 5.0 volts.
 10. smart electronic device, comprising: anelectronic system that provides a primary function of the smartelectronic device, a battery; a boost/buck regulator; a switchingmechanism; a connector; and a controller operatively coupled to theswitching mechanism and the connector, the controller configured toexecute instructions stored in a memory, the instructions adapted tocause the controller to— obtain a first signal indicative of anoperational mode, configure, when the first signal indicates a firstoperational mode, the switching mechanism to: route an externalpower-signal from the connector to an input of the boost/buck regulatorand a resulting output of the boost/buck regulator to the battery; routeoutput from the battery to the electronic circuit to power theelectronic circuit; and open an electrical path so that the externalpower-signal does not directly power the electronic circuit, andconfigure, when the first signal indicates a second operational mode,the switching mechanism to: route the external power-signal from theconnector to the electronic system so as to directly power theelectronic system; disconnect the input of the boost/buck regulator fromthe connector; and disconnect the battery from the electronic system.11. The smart electronic device of claim 10 wherein the instructions arefurther adapted to cause the controller to configure, when the firstsignal indicates a third operational mode, the switching mechanism to:route the power-signal from the connector so as to directly power theelectronic system; route the power-signal from the connector to theboost/buck regulator's input and the resulting output from theboost/buck regulator to the battery; and disconnect the battery from theelectronic circuit.
 12. The smart electronic device of claim 11, whereinthe boost/buck regulator is configured to operate in a boost mode whenthe input power-signal is indicative of a voltage insufficient to chargethe battery.
 13. The smart electronic device of claim 11, wherein theboost/buck regulator is configured to operate in a buck mode when theinput power-signal is indicative of a voltage greater than a specifiedvoltage, wherein the specified voltage is at least a delta-voltagegreater than an output voltage of the battery.
 14. The smart electronicdevice of claim 13, wherein the delta-voltage comprises a nominal 0.2volts.
 15. The smart electronic device of claim 10, comprising one ormore of the following functions: a cell phone, a portable music device,a digital camera, a digital calendar system, and an instant messagingdevice.
 16. method to efficiently receive power from a portable powerbank, comprising: obtaining a first signal indicative of a type ofportable power bank connected to a connector of the electronic device;configuring, when the first signal indicates a first type of portablepower bank is coupled to the connector, a switching mechanism to: routean external power-signal from the connector to an input of a boost/buckregulator of the electronic device and the resulting boost/buckregulator output to a battery of the electronic device, power theelectronic device from the battery, and open an electrical path so thatthe external power-signal does not directly power the electronic device;and configuring, when the first signal indicates a second type ofportable power bank is coupled to the connector, the switching mechanismto: route the external power-signal from the connector so as to directlypower the electronic device, disconnect the boost/buck regulator's inputfrom the connector, and disconnect the battery so that it does not powerthe electronic device.
 17. The method of claim 16, further comprisingconfiguring, when the first signal indicates a third operational mode,the switching mechanism to: route the power-signal from the connector tothe electronic system to power the electronic system; route thepower-signal from the connector to the boost/buck regulator's input andfrom the boost/buck regulator's output to the battery; and disconnectthe battery from the electronic circuit.
 18. The method of claim 17,wherein the boost/buck regulator is configured, when the first signalindicates a third operational mode, to operate in a boost mode when theinput power-signal is indicative of a voltage insufficient to charge thebattery.
 19. The method of claim 17, wherein the boost/buck regulator isconfigured, when the first signal indicates a third operational mode, tooperate in a buck mode when the input power-signal is indicative of avoltage greater than a specified voltage, wherein the specified voltageis at least a delta-voltage greater than an output voltage of thebattery.
 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the delta-voltage comprisesa nominal 0.2 volts.